Saturday, May 28, 2011

Tesco not a done deal says Bridgwater Forward

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'The Brewery Field, Northgate'

﻿﻿ Local campaign group Bridgwater Forward is concerned that Sedgemoor District Council’s proposal to sell off a major public space in Bridgwater’s town centre to supermarket giant Tesco is being interpreted as a fait accompli, even before a planning application has been made by Tesco.

Sedgemoor District Council itself says: “Further consideration of whether the Tesco proposals are right for the Northgate site and the impact on the town and its surrounding villages will be decided via the planning process. As with any major planning application, there will be full consultation with all interested parties, including the general public, before any decision is made.”

Major concerns have been expressed by local organisations and the general public about loss of open space, noise levels, traffic congestion, and impact on existing retail outlets leading to further decline in the town centre. At 60,000 square feet, Tesco’s planned store will dwarf surrounding buildings and dominate the skyline. ﻿﻿﻿ All that has happened so far is that the Tories who control Sedgemoor District Council have agreed to sell the publicly-owned Northgate site to Tesco Stores Ltd. Tesco will now have to submit their proposals in the form of a planning application

Tescos- a done deal ??

﻿﻿﻿“It is wrong that our town should be reduced to a turf war between major supermarket chains, and that those people who are elected to make decisions and spend our money on our behalf have no better vision for the future of our town than this. We need to preserve what is left of the historic charm of the town, enhance leisure facilities, and develop and encourage variety in our local shops” said Secretary Glen Burrows.
Bridgwater Forward firmly believes that Bridgwater does not need another superstore, and invites people and organisations to get involved in the planning process when Tesco submits its planning application, by sending letters of objection, joining lobbies and protests and attending Council meetings to show elected representatives how strongly they feel.

Having read about the £20,000 softner for Tesco's is a prime example of the underhanded way that people in power for Bridgwater are not making the best decisions to move this town forward. With the growing population in Bridgwater to not have a decent Post Office, Swimming Pool & a town centre that keeps people shopping within the town & not going elsewhere is absolutely deplorable. I understand there is a body called the BRI (Bridgwater Retail Inititive) which received a grant for £52,000 for improving & generating shops within Bridgwater, but it appears that little improvements have been made of any great significance over a 10 year period. I understand that some grants were issued to small businesses but did this amount to £52,000? I also am led to believe that there was a Mary Portas grant of a sum I am not privy to with a top up given of £10,000. Having spoken to a number of retailers, none were aware of this situation. How has this money been deployed. There are a number of questions I would be interested in having answered but prefer to stay anonamous due to being ostracised.